White corn grits with smokey maple, tamari coconut, black beluga lentils, and baby greens

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Heirloom tomatoes, nutritional yeast, sumac, purple dulse, and nori flakes add some additional colour and flavour to a traditional breakfast dish.

Ingredients

For the lentils
2/3 cups water
1/4 cup black beluga lentils
1 sprig dried kombu (about 1″)
1/2T olive oil
1T nutritional yeast
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the grits
1 1/2 cups of boiling water
1/2t coarse sea salt
1/2 cup white corn grits (grits are treated corn meal)
1/4 cup unsweetened plant milk
1T olive oil (use sesame seed butter as a flavourful alternative)
1T fresh garlic, minced
1 scallion, minced (4″ green reserved for garnish)
1T tapioca flour dissolved in 2T water
2T nutritional yeast
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the coconut
2T coconut flakes
2t maple syrup
1T tamari
A dash liquid smoke
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the garnish
3-5 heirloom grape tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup baby greens (I use a mix of baby spinach and baby kale)
1T nutritional yeast
Scallion green sliced at an angle (as noted above)
A good pinch each: dried ground sumac, purple dulse flakes, and nori flakes.

Start lentils, then the grits, then the coconut. In a small sauce pan with a lid, bring the water and sea salt to a soft boil. Add the lentils and kombu, cover and simmer on low for 30-40 minutes or until the water has been absorbed. When done, drain the lentils, remove the kombu, and rinse. Set aside until you’re ready to plate.

While the lentils cook, make the grits. In a small sauce pan with a lid, bring the water and sea salt to a soft boil. Add the grits slowly, whisking as you go. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and cook for roughly 20 – 30 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid sticking. The grits will be done when they’re quite thick and pulling away from the sides of the pan. Cooking time varies by pan and grind — use the consistency of the grits to determine when they’re done. When the grits are done, add the garlic, scallion, olive oil, and soy milk. Cover and simmer another 5 minutes on low. Stirring continuously, add the tapioca mixture until thickened. Remove from heat, add the nutritional yeast, and stir to combine.

With grits and the lentils well underway, make the coconut. Preheat the oven to 350F. Toss the coconut in the other ingredients until well-coated. Arrange the coconut in a a small glass or ceramic baking dish in an even layer. Bake on the middle rack until brown, about 10-12 minutes, stirring here and there. Ovens vary; use the color and dryness as a guide and be careful not to overcook.

When everything is ready, toss the black lentils with the oil, and nutritional yeast. Season the lentils and grits to taste. Spoon half of the grits onto the plate in a circle, thinner in the middle than at the sides. Sprinkle with the sumac, nutritional yeast, nori and dulse around the edges. Add half of the black lentils a couple of tablespoons at a time, layering half the baby greens in between tablespoons of lentils. Add a sprinkle of coconut to the top. Add half the sliced tomato around the sides. Repeat for the second portion and serve.

Fresh, handmade brown rice fettuccine with kale, red peppers, and raisins

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A simple, gluten free pasta with good body and chew tossed in a light oil and garlic sauce with sauteed vegetables. This makes a reasonably sized serving for one; the recipe easily doubles.

Ingredients

For the noodles
1/2 cup scant brown rice flour
1/2 cup scant tapioca flour
2T masa harina (corn flour)
1/4t coarse sea salt
1/2 cup boiling water
2T nutritional yeast
2 liters water with 1T coarse sea salt

For the sauce
1T olive oil
1/4t coarse sea salt
1 scallion (2″ green reserved for garnish)
1/2t dried basil, rubbed
1/2t dried oregano, rubbed
1/4t dried thyme, rubbed
1T fresh garlic, minced
1 cup green kale, stemmed and chopped
1/2 cup diced red pepper (about half a small red pepper)
1T sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (the dehydrated kind, not the kind packed in oil)
1T raisins
1/2T lenon juice
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the garnish
2 heirloom grape tomatoes, thinly sliced
Scallion green as above, sliced on an angle

Directions

Mix the flours for the pasta with the course sea salt. Whisking as you pour, add the boiling water. Be careful; it will be quite hot, but keep mixing. This will result in a crumbly dough. That’s fine — it will continue to absorb flour.

Turn the dough out onto a cutting board, and as soon as its cool enough for you to do so, knead as you would a regular dough until all the flour is absorbed and you have a smooth, pliable dough. Let rest 2 minutes. Roll out on a floured board to 1/8″ thick, trying to make the dough rectangular as possible (about 12″ long).

In a large pot, bring the 2 liters water to a light simmer with the 1T coarse sea salt. Trim the ends of the dough and slice the noodles in 1/4″ wide, long rectangular strips. Use a pasta/pastry cutter for best effect.

When the noodles are cut, add them to the simmering water and cook lightly for about 2 minutes or until they start to float. Don’t overcook and don’t boil. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water. Let stand 15 minutes to cool and dry. Rinse with a little cold water every few minutes to avoid sticking while you make the sauce.

In a frying pan, bring the oil to heat with the sea salt on medium high. Add the scallion and herbs and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Add the kale, peppers, raisins and sun-dried tomatoes and saute for 5-7 minutes (until the kale has softened). When the pan starts to brown, deglaze with the lemon juice and remove from heat. Season to taste.

When the sauce is ready, rinse the pasta with hot water to warm and drain. Toss the pasta with 2T nutritional yeast. Plate and add the sauce. Toss the pasta gently with the sauce, add the sliced heirloom tomatoes and scallions. Season to taste and serve.

Vanilla frozen dessert with salted whiskey, coffee and cashew fudge sauce

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Ingredients

1/4 cup whiskey (traditionally Irish — I used bourbon)*
1T coconut sugar
1 shot espresso (short)
1T cashew butter
1/4 cup unsweetened plant milk (I use soy)
A pinch coarse sea salt
2 large frozen bananas (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4t vanilla extract
1/4 cup frozen cherries

Optional: 1t maca powder

Directions

In a small sauce pan with the lid handy, bring the whiskey to a light boil on medium high heat. Add the sugar and stir. Simmer for about 30 seconds, and then — carefully — light the pan. If the fire is too high, put the lid on. Otherwise, it should burn off the alcohol and caramelize the sugar a bit.

Reduce heat to medium low. Let the whiskey simmer and reduce to about 2T, add the espresso and the cashew butter. Stir to thoroughly dissolve the cashew butter, and then slowly whisk in the plant milk and sea salt. It should emulsify quickly into a thick, fluffy cream. If the mixture is too thick, add a more plant milk. If it seems thin, ensure the cashew butter is thoroughly dissolved. Chill if necessary.

Puree the banana with the vanilla until smooth. If using the maca, puree it with the banana. Spoon out the banana into an appropriate dish, garnish with the cream and the cherries and serve.

*The quality of the whiskey makes a difference to this dish. Also, it’s rare, but some whiskeys are still produced using animal products.

Garnished with cherries!

Hand-rolled, gluten free (oat) gemelli pasta in a roasted red pepper sauce

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The combination of oat and tapioca make for a nice, chewy pasta, and the gemelli provide a lot of ridging to hold onto the rich sauce. The cremini mushrooms, artichokes, and spinach add flavour, colour and nutrition. The recipe easily doubles.

Ingredients

For the sauce
1 large red pepper
1 scallion, minced (reserve 2″ green for garnish)
1/2T fresh garlic, minced
1/2t dried oregano, rubbed
1/4t dried thyme, rubbed
4 medium cremini mushrooms (about 50g), coarsely sliced (about 1/4″)
1/2 cup artichoke hearts
1T sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (the dehydrated kind, not the kind packed in oil)
1T nutritional yeast
1/2 cup spinach, coarsely chopped (reserve a few tablespoons for garnish)
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the noodles
1/2 cup scant gluten free oat flour*
1/2 cup scant tapioca flour
1T masa harina (corn flour)
1/4t coarse sea salt
1/2 cup boiling water

Instructions

Start the sauce, then the make pasta. Preheat the oven to 450F (or use the traditional charring method if you have a gas stove). Lightly oil and roast the red pepper and roast until the skin is nicely charred. Remove from the oven and let cool. While the red pepper roast,

start the pasta. Mix the flours for the pasta with the course sea salt. Whisking as you pour, add the boiling water. Be careful; it will be quite hot, but keep mixing. This will result in a crumbly dough. That’s fine — it will continue to absorb flour.

Turn the dough out onto a cutting board, and as soon as its cool enough for you to do so, knead as you would a regular dough until all the flour is absorbed and you have a smooth, pliable dough. Let rest 2 minutes. Roll out on a floured board until in a rectangle until the dough is 1/8″. Slice width-wise in 1/4″ lines. These can be a little larger and thicker than wheat gemelli. They won’t plump as much while cooking.

Roll the pasta on the board (or between your palms), loop in half (end to end), close the ends with a pinch, and then twist by rolling the folded pasta away from you with the right hand and toward you with the left. Be careful, oat flour makes for a more delicate dough. Repeat until all the dough has been rolled. Keep your dough under a warm we cloth while you work if you find it starts to dry out. Once the noodles are rolled, let them stand about 10 minutes to dry.

In a large pan, bring the water and sea salt to a light simmer. Then slice the strands in 1 1/2″ slices to make the gemelli. Add the gemelli to the water and stir lightly.
Simmer the pasta for 2-3 minutes or until the gemelli are floating. Don’t boil and don’t overcook. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water. Let stand 20 minutes to cool and dry. Rinse with a little cold water every few minutes to avoid sticking while you make the sauce.

In a frying pan with a lid, bring the oil to heat with the sea salt on medium high. Add the scallion and herbs and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Add the mushrooms and artichoke hearts. Saute for 5-7 minutes until the pan starts to brown. While the mushrooms saute, peel, core, seed, and chop the red pepper. Puree it with the sun-dried tomato. When the pan starts to brown, add the pureed red pepper and deglaze the pan. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer about 10 minutes.

When the sauce is ready, rinse the pasta with warm water to warm and drain. Add the pasta to the sauce. Add the nutritional yeast and chopped spinach, reserving a few tablespoons for garnish. Stir gently to coat the pasta in the sauce. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes to let the spinach wilt. Season to taste. Plate and garnish with spinach and scallion greens sliced on a diagonal, and serve.

*Oats are naturally gluten free, but there can be issues of cross-contamination during production with flours that contain gluten.

Orange, coffee and black cherry frozen dessert

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Rich colours and flavours; use decaf if you prefer.

Ingredients

A shot of freshly brewed espresso (short), chilled
1-2T marmalade* (depending on how orange you want it)
2 large frozen bananas (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4t vanilla extract
1 cup frozen dark cherries
Sweeten to taste

Option: 1t powdered maca

Directions

Make the espresso and chill in the freezer for 2 minutes.
Puree the banana, vanilla, espresso and marmalade until smooth. Add the maca if you’ll be using it.
Sweeten to taste, and spoon out into an appropriate dish
Puree the cherries until smooth (or leave it a little chunky if you prefer)
Sweeten to taste and top the bananas with the cherries.

*I use an organic brand to ensure the sugar isn’t bleached with animal bone charcoal.

Roasted golden and red beets with mixed baby greens in lime and oil

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A simple, but colorful side salad. The greens shown here are a mix of spinach, chard, bok choy, and kale, but use what you like. Add some black lentils, white beans or chick peas and sun-dried tomatoes or cubed tofu and chopped walnuts for lunch or a light dinner.

Ingredients

For the beets
1T cooking oil
1/4t coarse sea salt
1 cup golden beets in 1/2″ cubes
1 cup red beets in 1/2″ cubes
2 cups baby greens

For the dressing
1T olive oil
1/4t coarse sea salt
2t lime juice
1T black sesame seeds
Coarse sea salt and black pepper to taste

Optional: 1T nutritional yeast

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400F. Peel and cube the beets, toss them in the cooking oil and sea salt. In a roasting pan, roast the beets for about 20-30 minutes until they are lightly fork tender but still firm, turning periodically.
Ovens vary; use the colour and texture of the beets as a guide. When done, Remove the beets from the oven and let stand to cool about 15 minutes.

When the beets are cool, whisk the olive oil, sea salt and lime juice. Add the beets to the greens in a large bowl.
Dress and toss until well coated. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and nutritional yeast if you’ll be using it. Season to taste and serve.

 

 

Tamari, chili, and nori popcorn

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A light snack seasoned with toasted sesame oil, nutritional yeast and sea salt.

Ingredients

1/2 cup popcorn (I use blue)
2T plant-only margarine, melted
1/4t toasted sesame oil
1/2T tamari
1t red Thai chili paste (or similar/to taste)
2T nutritional yeast
1T toasted nori flakes
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Pop the popcorn either by stove top method or using a popper. For the stove top version, use a frying pan with a lid and around 2T canola or avocado oil depending on the size of the pan. Heat the oil on medium high. Add 2-3 kernels when the pan is warm, cover and wait for them to pop. Add the remaining kernels in a single layer, cover and pop. Shake the pan once they start to pop in earnest, and remove from heat once the they start to slow down.

Pour the popcorn into a bowl when it has settled.Melt the margarine and whisk with the sesame oil, chili and tamari. Mix in the nutritional yeast. Pour over the popcorn (or down the sides of the bowl, if you want more even coverage). Toss thoroughly and garnish with nori flakes, sea salt and black pepper to taste.

Mocha frozen dessert sweetened with stevia

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Fresh espresso and cocoa make this dessert (or breakfast) rich and flavourful Although quite sweet, stevia can still be an acquired taste and hard to find. Sweeten instead with 2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave nectar if you prefer, or 3 tablespoons coconut sugar, and so on.

Ingredients

3 medium frozen bananas (about 2 cups)
1 shot espresso (short)
2T cacao powder (I use a fair-trade, Dutch-processed brand)
A pinch of sea salt
Stevia to taste

Optional: 1t maca powder

Instructions

Make the espresso, mix it with the stevia and flash chill in the freezer for a minute. It should be fairly sweet (so that it sweetens the banana and cocoa sufficiently). A scant teaspoon of powdered or several drops of liquid stevia should be sufficient. When the espresso has cooled, puree everything together until smooth. Sweeten to taste and serve.

Creamy tomato soup accented with sumac, sun-dried tomato and sesame

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Topped with spiral cut and roasted white potato and drips of sesame cream, balsamic vinegar and tomato passata, this makes a good sized bowl for two, but easily doubles or halves. Shown here with a light sandwich (waffles with oat, white miso spread and roasted mushrooms) and a light salad of baby arugula (2 cups packed baby arugula greens, 1T olive oil, 2t balsamic vinegar with a little sea salt).

Ingredients

For the soup
1T cooking oil
1/4t coarse sea salt
2 scallions (4″ green reserved for garnish)
1T dried sumac
1t dried thyme, rubbed
1T fresh garlic, minced
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (the dehydrated kind, not packed in oil)
1/2T lemon juice
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup passata (or tomato puree)
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1T sesame seed butter
2T red miso
1T tapioca flour dissolved in 2T cold water
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the garnish
2 medium white potatoes (about 1 1/2 cups)
1T cooking oil
1/4t coarse sea salt
2t nutritional yeast
2t balsamic vinegar
2t passata
1t sesame seed butter dissolved in 1t water
Scallions sliced on a diagonal as above

Instructions

Start with the potatoes, then the soup. Preheat the oven for 450F. If you don’t have a spiral slicer, you can still grate the potatoes with a box grater with the medium holes. Toss the sliced potatoes in 1T oil and coarse sea salt. Add in an even, shallow layer to a small, lightly oiled roasting pan. Roast for about 10 minutes at 450F, reduce heat to 350F and bake for another 15-25 minutes until the potatoes are soft, but not mushy and lightly browned. Ovens vary; use the colour and texture of the potato as a guide.

While the potatoes cook, make the soup. In a large pot with a lid, bring the cooking oil and sea salt to heat on medium high. Add the scallions, sumac, and herbs and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and deglaze the pan. Add the stock, passata and soy milk. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer while the potatoes cook.

When the potatoes are done, remove from the oven, sprinkle with the nutritional yeast, and set aside. Remove the soup from heat and add the red miso and sesame see butter. Puree until the soup is smooth. Return the soup to a light simmer. Slowly and stirring continuously, add the tapioca mixture until thickened. Season to taste.

Ladle out the soup. Add the potatoes to each bowl in a thin, light layer. Add the vinegar, the passata and the sesame in small splashes, garnish with the scallions and serve.

Chick pea and nori gnocchi with smokey, heirloom carrot ribbons, sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, and spring mix

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The chick pea flour gives this gluten free version of this dish a lovely, soft chew that’s similar to potato and wheat flour. If you don’t have a spiralizer or a mandoline, you can shred the carrots using a box grater. The texture will be slightly different, but the flavor will be consistent.

Ingredients

For the gnocchi
1 cup tapioca flour
1 1/2 cups chick pea flour, 1/4 cup reserved
1 cup boiling water
1T green nori flakes
1/4t coarse sea salt
2 liters water with 2t coarse sea salt
1T olive oil
2T nutritional yeast
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the carrots
4 medium purple heirloom carrots (about 1 packed cup when cut)
1T cooking oil
1/4t coarse sea salt
1/2t red Thai chili paste (or similar or to taste)
2t tamari (use gluten free)
2t coconut sugar (maple syrup makes a good substitution)
A dash liquid smoke
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the spring mix
1T olive oil
2t balsamic vinegar
1 scallion, minced (4″ green reserve for garnish)
2t fresh garlic, minced
1/4t coarse sea salt
2 cups packed spring mix
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the garnish
2T sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped (use dehydrated, not jarred)
2T walnuts, chopped
Scallion green sliced on a diagonal as above

Instructions

Make the dressing, start the gnocchi and then carrots. Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, scallion, garlic, and the coarse sea salt in a small dish until well combined. Set aside for the flavors to mix and start the pasta.

Mix the flours for the pasta with the course sea salt and nori. Whisking as you pour, add the boiling water. Be careful; it will be quite hot, but keep mixing. This will result in a dry and crumbly dough. That’s fine — it will continue to absorb flour, soften and become moist. Turn the dough out onto a cutting board. As soon as its cool enough for you to do so, knead as you would a regular dough until all the flour is absorbed and you have a smooth, pliable dough. Add additional chick pea flour 1 tablespoon at a time as you knead. Let rest 2 minutes.

When the dough is ready, roll out on a well-floured board in a rectangle until the dough is about 1/4″ thick. Tear or cut 2t pieces of dough. Roll each piece into a firm, smooth ball, then roll the dough gently into a slightly oblong shape. Ridge each gnocchi with a fork by gently but firmly pressing the back of the tines into the gnocchi. Repeat until you’ve used all of your dough. Let rest about 10 minutes and start the carrots.

Preheat the oven to 450F. Whisk the dressing for the carrots, and toss together until the carrots are well-coated. Add the carrots in a shallow layer to a roasting pan. Roast on the middle rack of the oven for about 10 minutes — until the carrots are lightly browned and chewy.

While the carrots roast, cook the pasta. In a large pot, bring the 2L water and sea salt to a simmer for the pasta. Add the gnocchi and simmer until they begin to float, about 3-5 minutes. Don’t boil and don’t overcook. Add 1T pasta water to the spring mix dressing. Drain the gnocchi, rinse thoroughly in cool water, toss in the 1T olive oil and nutritional yeast until well-coated, and season to taste.

In a large bowl, dress the spring mix, add the gnocchi, toss very gently to combine, and set aside until the carrots are ready. Once the carrots are ready, remove from the oven and season to taste. Then, plate the dish. Add the gnocchi and spring mix first, then add the carrot on top. Sprinkle with the sun-dried tomato, chopped walnuts, and scallions, and then serve.